Upgrade Xperia Mini ST15i / ST15a Android 4.1.2 CM10 Jelly Bean Custom ROM

Official support by Sony Ericsson forXperia Mini ST15i / ST15a was dropped a long time ago when no new updates came out for the Xperia Mini Android phone. This is when the developers decided to keep this phone alive and updated with the latest Android releases. You can easily install Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean CM10 on Xperia Mini ST15i / ST15a with the tutorial given below. You need to have ClockworkMod recovery installed from before.

In this tutorial, we will tell you how to update Xperia Mini ST15i / ST15a to CM10 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware with complete steps and instructions. Make sure you backup all your data as given in the tips below, because you will have to wipe all your data during the installation process. Let’s get on with the tutorial now.

Disclaimer: All the tools, mods or ROMs mentioned below belong to their respective owners/developers. We or the developers are not to be held responsible if you damage or brick your device. We don’t have you on gun point to try out this tutorial 

What’s Not Working:

• Lots of features. This ROM is still WIP (work in progress).

Make sure you have installed all your USB drivers for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini to connect it with the computer.Apart from just the USB drivers, there are a few more things that you need to take care of.

1. You need to enable USB debugging mode. This helps to connect your Android phone with the PC.

2. Your phone battery should be 80-85% charged. If your phone goes off suddenly because of battery, during flashing ROMs or installing mods and updates — your phone might go dead permanently. 

3. Backup all your important data that you might need as soon as your flash a new ROM, or make a backup for just in case, you never know when anything might go wrong.

Now, let’s proceed with the tutorial on the next page and update Xperia Mini ST15i / ST15a to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean CM10 firmware.

We have put together a detailed step-by-step instructions guide on how to update Xperia Mini ST15i / ST15a to Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean CM10 custom ROM. If you are used to installing custom ROMs on your Xperia Mini, then this should not be any different for you.

However, for beginners, you need to root your Xperia Mini and install a custom recovery. Please Google that up if you are unsure and make sure you read the tutorial once before actually performing it on your device.

Just To Remember:

• This Android 4.1.2 instalaltion method tutorial is only for Xperia Mini ST15i / ST15a and I am not sure if it will work on the other variants of the Xperia Mini on other carriers.
• Your phone should be rooted and have ClockworkMod recovery installed from before.
• After installing this, your phone will not be detected by Sony PC Companion, because you will be installing a custom ROM.
• Make a Nandroid (or any) backup of your previous phone set up before proceeding – for just in case anything goes wrong.

Complete Step-By-Step Instructions:

Step 1 - Download CM10 Android 4.1.2 ROM and Google Apps for Xperia Mini to your computer.

Step 2 - Connect and mount your Xperia Mini USB memory on your computer using the USB cable.

Step 3 - Now copy/paste the downloaded Android 4.1.2 ROM zip and Google Apps files to your SD card. Make sure the files are in the SD card root (not in any folder).

Step 4 - Then turn OFF your phone and disconnect from the USB cable.

Step 5 - Now to get in the Recovery Mode. Switch ON the phone while pressing the Volume Down repeatedly.

Step 6 - In ClockworkMod recovery, perform a full data wipe first. Then scroll down to “flash zip from SD card” and press the Power button to select it.

Step 7 - Press the Power button again and select “choose zip from sdcard”.

Step 8 -Now using your volume keys, navigate to the Android 4.1.2 ROM zip file that you copied to your SD card and select it using the Power button. Confirm the installation on the next screen and the installation procedure should start now.

NOTE: Repeat this step for the Google Apps zip file as well.

Step 9 - After the installation completes, go to “+++++Go Back” and reboot the phone by selecting “reboot system now” from the recovery menu. The phone will bootnow and it might take about 5 minutes to boot on your first time. So, please wait.

That’s it! Your Xperia Mini ST15i / ST15a should now have CM10 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean custom ROM installed on your phone! Go to Settings > About phone to verify.

You can follow the original project page for more information and latest CM10 builds.

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If you run into any problems, feel free to drop us a comment below and we will reply you back ASAP with the fix or the solution to your problem.